How Mass Die-Offs and Poaching Threaten Rare Asian Antelopes

The critically endangered saiga antelope, plagued by disease and prized for their horns, are at the center of conservation efforts in Central Asia. Today, there are only around 225,000 saiga in Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia. In 2015, a mysterious disease caused a mass die in central Kazakhstan where 220,000 saiga died over a few weeks, exterminating around 62 percent of the world population. Although the antelope survived, they were still threatened by poaching. In the race to save the remaining population, conservationists and anti-poaching rangers joined efforts in the Irgiz-Turgay Reserve to study the saigas' health and patrol the area from the illegal wildlife trade.

How Mass Die-Offs and Poaching Threaten Rare Asian Antelopes

The critically endangered saiga antelope, plagued by disease and prized for their horns, are at the center of conservation efforts in Central Asia. Today, there are only around 225,000 saiga in Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia. In 2015, a mysterious disease caused a mass die in central Kazakhstan where 220,000 saiga died over a few weeks, exterminating around 62 percent of the world population. Although the antelope survived, they were still threatened by poaching. In the race to save the remaining population, conservationists and anti-poaching rangers joined efforts in the Irgiz-Turgay Reserve to study the saigas' health and patrol the area from the illegal wildlife trade.